25 Cities Where Crime Is Soaring

Violent crime is a broad designation consisting of the most egregious infractions — aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder. According to the FBI, there were 386 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in the United States in 2016. While the crime rate has fluctuated slightly in recent years, the incidence of violent crime in the United States remains effectively unchanged from half a decade ago.

The national violent crime rate does not tell the whole story, however. Crime is a local issue, and in some parts of the country, violence is surging.

The causes for the increases in violent crime vary from one city to the next, be it worsening socioeconomic conditions, soaring drug-related crime, or changes in policing, among other factors. In some cases, the increases were largely the result of one major year-over-year spike in crime, while in other cities the increases resulted from steady upticks over the last five years. Differences aside, the incidence of violent crime has climbed by over 30% in every metro area on this list.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed FBI data for nearly 200 metropolitan areas nationwide to identify the cities where crime is soaring.